Device management is a technology that provides customization, servicing, and personalization of mobile devices such as pen and keyboard-based handheld computers, wireless phones, pen tablets, notebooks, laptops, sensory devices, intelligent devices, embedded devices, and vehicle systems, not excluding any other mobile device. Device management also involves provisioning a mobile device, or providing the parameters to the mobile device to allow the functions of the mobile device to operate. Provisioning mobile devices can be difficult and time consuming. As the capability of mobile devices continues to increase, the number of parameters needed to be provisioned also increases.
Previously, the provisioning of a mobile device was standardized according to the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) developed by the WAP Forum as the de facto standard protocol. WAP may be described as a visual interactive computer telephone voice response system. More recently, the standardization for provisioning has been transitioned to the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and their Device Management (DM) protocol. However, the structure and operation of OMA DM is different than the structure and operation of WAP.